Of Fans,Masks and Vegetables
by Lady Genevieve
Summary: Fifty themes on Neal and Yuki. [Complete]


**Of Fans, Masks and Vegetables**

_Neal and Yuki – Fifty Themes_

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. If I did I'd be writing novels not fanfics. Enjoy!

**Edit (7****th**** September, 2007): **Thanks to **pompier **for kindly pointing out a few typos – it is truly appreciated. Thanks.

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**1. Ring **

Sliding the ring onto Yuki's finger Neal speaks flawless wedding vows, his eyes never leaving hers.

**2. Hero**

When the war is finally over Yuki goes to the parade that welcomes home the Heroes of the Realm. In her eyes there is only one amongst them - he winks at her from atop his horse and she's glad to see that the parade hasn't inflated his ego, much.

**3. Memory **

Neal remembers the first time they met, they were introduced by Kel. Yuki was almost as feisty then as she is now, years later.

**4. Box **

The smile that Neal gives her when he opens his Midwinter gift (a lengthy volume on Yamani poetry) is reward enough for Yuki. Sitting down beside him she whispers seductively, "Now you can finally write _proper_ Yamani poetry, love."

**5. Run **

At first she doesn't want to fall for him. She's seen the way he is: always needing to have the last word, sarcastic at best, terrible any time before midday and a terrible poet. She tries to run from his affections, scrunching up his latest attempt at poetry in defiance.

**6. Hurricane**

Yuki is spinning around and around and around. She smiles up at the ceiling and blesses the Gods that brought her to Tortall. She never thought she would find love in this strange, outspoken country. Or love in that stubborn, outspoken man. How wrong she was.

**7. Wings**

Yuki points to the golden eagle soaring high above them. "Imagine being able to fly like that," she says to him. Wrapping a protective arm around her Neal smiles and replies: "I already am."

**8. Cold **

Although it wasn't her original intention, voicing to Neal that she was cold did have the added bonus of his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close into him.

**9. Red **

Yuki doesn't blush. Of course she doesn't. She knows this and that is why she is so surprised to see her cheeks go up in flames when she remembers _that_ comment and the way he danced with only her last night.

**10. Drink **

After a couple of drinks Yuki finds herself pulled into an exuberant hug by Neal. She's sure that he means nothing by it but a part of her registers that she has never been held this close before, not even by her own father.

**11. Midnight **

Scrunching up what must be his twentieth attempt at a poem Neal hears the palace bell chime midnight. It's midnight and he's no closer to charming his way to Yuki's heart through poetry than he was three hours ago. Sighing, he picks up his quill and begins afresh.

**12. Temptation **

Neal has known temptation before. He has been tempted by court beauties in the past. But Yuki is something completely different. He doesn't have a name for it but he knows that it's something much more than lust.

**13. View**

He watches her from the other side of the ballroom where she is chatting animatedly to Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami. Neal knows that he's free to go and join their conversation but he's happy just watching her - the view from here is great.

**14. Music **

Tortallan music bores Yuki - it all sounds the same. Neal is quick to note this and as consequence takes her out on walks of the palace grounds whenever the musicians start playing.

**15. Silk **

It takes all of Neal's strength to keep his hands firmly clasped in his lap when he first sees Yuki with her hair out. He is convinced it would feel like spun silk and just barely stops himself from crossing the room towards her.

**16. Cover**

Beneath the cover of night in one of the Royal Gardens Neal and Yuki share their first kiss. Yuki is hesitant and chides Neal afterwards for acting recklessly - anyone could have seen. He only shrugs and tells her it wasn't reckless at all but rather, a well planned operation. After driving a sharp elbow into his ribs Yuki shyly kisses him back.

**17. Promise**

Clutching a dramatic hand to his heart Neal proclaims to Yuki that if she were to marry him he would happily eat nothing but vegetables for the rest of his life. Yuki gets a twinkle in her eye and promises to hold him to that.

**18. Dream**

Yuki has found that she is no longer lonely. Whilst awake she has Neal by her side and at night she dances with him in her dreams.

**19. Candle **

On the night of his Ordeal she lights a candle and keeps vigil with Keladry of Mindelan. She's not exactly sure that it's love but she knows she doesn't want him to die alone in the Chamber.

**20. Talent **

Neal has no talent for jousting. Both he and Yuki agree on this when he is sent flying for the fifth time of the afternoon due to jousting practice with Kel. Neal swears that he will never be coaxed into this idiocy again whilst Yuki resolves to make Neal do this more often. She likes this kind of entertainment.

**21. Silence **

Yuki always wonders what happened during Neal's Ordeal of Knighthood but never asks. She's sure that he won't tell her and doesn't want to force him to relive bad memories.

**22. Journey **

Yuki travels to the north with another bride-to-be, Buriram Tourakom, and can't help but be grateful for the company on the trip - even if she wishes it was someone else riding with her.

**23. Fire **

Tempers clash are quick tempers do. Neal can't remember what the fight was about, but he realises quickly that he is not going to win against her. Sighing, he backs down and apologizes - he likes it better when they're on good terms.

**24. Strength **

Neal can list many strong women off the top of his head: Kel, the Lioness, Buriram Tourakom and the Queen. Their strength, however, is forgotten when he sees the calm acceptance in Yuki's eyes when she goes into labour for the first time.

**25. Mask **

She doesn't tell him how afraid she is that he will die in the war, like his brothers before him. Rather, she kisses him goodbye and saves the tears for a time when she will be alone.

**26. Ice **

The times Yuki gets really angry with Neal always seem to occur during dinner. After a long day she can't control her annoyance over the large number of vegetables that remain on Neal's plate and tells him icily that he _will_ finish his meal.

**27. Fall **

Neal knows that Yuki is one of the least clumsy women in the world so when he sees her trip and fall on afternoon he rushes to her aid and voices his concerns. After thanking him she adds coyly, "You just caught me off balance."

**28. Forgotten**

Yuki wonders if he has forgotten her birthday as she lies down to go to sleep. Sliding her hands under her pillow she feels them hit something solid and is overjoyed to find a box with a simple ring and matching earbobs inside.

**29. Dance**

The first time they dance is at a Mage's Party. He has had three drinks and she has had four. She takes his hand and tells him tartly that _all_ knights know how to dance. Even he knows better than to refuse twice.

**30. Body **

After gently peeling back layer upon layer of clothing from his bride on their wedding night he can't help but take in every aspect of her form. Yuki blushes, lowering her eyes and Neal is quick to assure her that she is the absolute embodiment of perfection.

**31. Sacred **

Neal watches Yuki wake up the morning after their wedding night and stretch like a cat. Pulling her close he wonders to he did to deserve this Goddess as his wife.

**32. Farewells **

He tells her that they should never say goodbye because it is just war and he will be home before she even notices he has been gone. It is only the Scanrans, after all. Secretly he is scared to death that this may be the time he _won't_ come home.

**33. World**

Her world as she knows it changes completely when their first child, a girl, is born. His world doesn't change until their daughter tells him that she is going to become a page.

**34. Formal **

Neal hates how Yuki gets after they fight. She retreats behind that mask of hers and stubbornly addresses him as 'Nealan.'

**35. Fever **

Yuki doesn't get sick so when she wakes up one morning thoroughly unwell Neal drags her off to see his father. Duke Baird of Queenscove grins with mirth and takes great pleasure in informing them that in seven months he is going to become a grandfather. Firstly, Neal wonders which of his sisters has fallen pregnant and then it clicks - _he _is going to be a father and Yuki a mother.

**36. Laugh**

Neal is quick to laugh and make a joke in any situation but he doesn't find it funny when his daughter starts pressuring him about her commencing her career as a page. Even less so when Yuki sides with their child.

**37. Lies **

When Yuki writes home she tells them she is being a dutiful and subservient wife as they would expect to hear. She knows that the truth, that she has Neal eating out of the palm of _her_ hand, would both shock and horrify them.

**38. Forever **

Yuki lies in bed teetering on the edge between awake and asleep. She scolds herself for not rising with the sun until she remembers that she's at Queenscove and no one here expects her to be up early. She has all day, should she want to take that long.

**39. Overwhelmed**

Having a young daughter is something that both Yuki and Neal find difficult to adjust to. Yuki because she didn't think raising a child would take so much work and Neal because he had never thought that he would love someone else as much as he did Yuki.

**40. Whisper **

They were months into their courtship before he finally whispered those words: "I love you Yuki." She blinks and smiles, "As I do you."

**41. Wait **

Neal considers a _very_ cold bath when he learns that Yuki does not believe in sex before marriage. Instead, he tries to convince her otherwise…and fails. Miserably. He then re-evaluates his need for a cold bath and decides that it is not such a bad idea. He's willing to wait, but it's not going to be easy.

**42. Talk **

They talk about many things; about the Scanran war, Tortall, the Yamani Islands, politics and magic but neither is able to talk about the one thing that weighs on both their minds - the little life growing inside Yuki. It was not planned but neither regrets it. At the moment it's just too strange and joyous to really come to terms with.

**43. Search **

When he returns from the war he searches for her face in the crowd but it is she who finds him first, their three year old daughter propped on one hip and their eight month old son on the other. He knows then that it's one of the happiest days of his life.

**44. Hope**

The first time Yuki sees Neal there is a strange sort of hope that is lit inside of her. She thinks that perhaps this one is different to all the others. It takes a long time for her to realise she was right.

**45. Eclipse **

During one of the many of the mages' parties they attend together they both go onto the balcony to witness the lunar eclipse. Beautiful as it is Neal and Yuki both feel small and somewhat insignificant in comparison.

**46. Gravity **

Neal is falling, falling, falling. He opens his mouth to scream and realises he's not allowed to make a sound in the Chamber of Ordeal. Cool hands make their way onto his shoulders and he is dragged back from dreams of his past ordeal to the present. Yuki soothes him and reminds him that dreams are just that, dreams.

**47. Highway **

Yuki is not scared of heights but when Neal drags her to the very top of Balor's Needle she can't help but get chills and press herself back against him.

**48. Unknown**

Watching Yuki as she sleeps Neal wonders what surprises life will have in store for them. Placing a hand on her very pregnant stomach he smiles and thinks that life can only get more interesting.

**49. Lock**

During her pregnancy Yuki's temper is at its worst. It gets to the point where she threatens to lock Neal out of the bedroom if he doesn't stop trying to find out the gender of the baby using his gift. He promptly desists - he most definitely likes sharing her bed.

**50. Breathe**

The labour is hard for Yuki but when Neal tells her to relax and breathe she can't help but notice how tightly he holds her hand and the way in which he is holding his own breath.

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_Well, that's another fifty themes done. These take me ages so please be kind and review, I'd love to hear what you thought of this one._

_I'm in the process of writing Alanna/George, Kel/Dom and Miri/Evin 50 themes so please and patient and check my profile for updates if you're interested._

_-Gen_

_P.S. I hope this fic finds its intended readers - that's to say, Neal/Yuki 'shippers, as rare as they are, who are often forgotten in the pool of 'ships that is Kel/Neal, Neal/Anyone but Yuki and Yuki/Some other bizarre match._


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